The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
There are several methods for attaching a flange to an end of a composite shaft. The barrel of a flange may be bonded onto an already-cured composite shaft. Holes may then be drilled radially through the bonded interface and pins or bolts may be placed therein for securing the flange to the shaft. However, these holes may result in damage to the fibers, reducing the overall strength of the composite shaft. Alternatively, an uncured composite shaft formed from filaments (comprised of a carrier and an uncured binder) may have these filaments wrapped around axially extending lugs on the barrel of a flange. However, since the filament is not wound along the axial channels created by these lugs, a pressure is required to force the filament into the channels between the axial lugs during curing of the filament.
According to the present disclosure, a composite shaft assembly may include a composite shaft body and a flange. The composite shaft body may include a composite filament and the flange may include an external surface having a plurality of lugs extending therefrom. A first and second of the plurality of lugs may have an axial spacing therebetween. The filament may be wound between the first and second lugs and cured in this wound state.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.